What to use to make grazing muzzle hole larger

Suby2

Suby2

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As the title. Despite persevering my pony has not been seen to eat in his grazing muzzle and has given up trying. He just stands around for hours. He is quite a chunky boy and I wonder if he is struggling with the hole size.

(He was introduced to it gradually and had small treats and slivers of carrot fed through it.)

I want to try making the hole in his Shires muzzle larger to at least get him started and then if necessary I will buy another one once I know he gets the idea.

My husband has tried to make the hole larger with a Stanley knife but with absolutely no success.

Does anyone have any other ideas?
 
I would restrict grass intake either by bringing in or putting on a paddock with not a lot of grass and feeding soaked hay.
 
Not sure how to make it bigger but have you tried the green guard one? Usually easier to eat through, shore also do a flexi grazer that seems to have more holes in the bottom?
 
I'd have thought it would have been quite easy because my old girl managed to break hers quite easily! and she wasn't normally a horse that trashed things!
 
I did mine with a little pointy kitchen vegetable knife but only by going around the thick rubber which circles the hole. You end up with quite a big hole, but if it's only for training purposes, then it might be ok for short term use. I have also just removed a section of the thick circle, so the hole looks a bit like a squat keyhole, but had trouble smoothing the corners so chucked that one.
 
I used a drill to make a circle of holes around the thick rubber bit and then a Stanley knife to cut the bits between the holes. It's surprisingly difficult.
 
I have one with the bottom cut out as an 'introduction to grazing with a muzzle'! My friend drilled it out for me.
 
Small scissors and cut from the hole don't try and stab a hole to start with. If that makes sense!
My gelding wouldn't eat with the original hole, don't think he could get anything through it but once it was slightly bigger he got on fine with it.
 
Suby2 said:
As the title. Despite persevering my pony has not been seen to eat in his grazing muzzle and has given up trying. He just stands around for hours. He is quite a chunky boy and I wonder if he is struggling with the hole size.

(He was introduced to it gradually and had small treats and slivers of carrot fed through it.)

I want to try making the hole in his Shires muzzle larger to at least get him started and then if necessary I will buy another one once I know he gets the idea.

My husband has tried to make the hole larger with a Stanley knife but with absolutely no success.

Does anyone have any other ideas?
Click to expand...

I used a stanley knife on a Shires muzzle. It did take a bit of doing, and I used a new blade. Be careful!
 
Surprising success!!! Using kitchen scissors!!!

I made cuts at right angles to the hole so that they fanned out (difficult to describe). I then hacked one of the sections out which meant I had enough space to use the scissors to cut round the hole.

Now just need to smooth the edges.

🙂
 
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